Issues in Australian Foreign Policy: July to December 2010

Papua Journal of Diplomacy and International Relations

This article places a particular emphasis on the rise of China and its implications for Australian foreign policy. It qualitatively examines the perceptions of China’s rise, its intentions, and the Australian responses, based on government and international organisation reports, and secondary sources such as books, journals, and media articles. Using realism as a theoretical lens, this article argues that Australia’s foreign policy still reflects an ambiguity, as a result of, on the one hand, the economic opportunities China creates, and on the other hand, uncertainty regarding China’s intentions, whether offensive or defensive, peaceful or aggressive. Facing this condition, this article demonstrates that Australia adopts several important policy strategies. First, it maintains a hedging strategy to balance its economic interests and its security concern. Second, Australia continues to rely on the protection of the US. In the long-term, however, this reliance may be changed. For thi...

Australian Journal of International Affairs, 2016

The economic importance and strategic significance of Australia’s relationship with China means that bilateral ties have become a major focus of attention in the scholarly and policymaking communities in this country. Understandably enough, perhaps, less attention has begin given to the way the relationship is understood in China. This paper addresses this absence in the literature by providing an overview of some of the more important contributions to the discussion in China. The most important point that emerges from such an analysis is that there is an ‘asymmetry of interest’ in the two countries, with Australia occupying a far less prominent place in Chinese policy discussions than China does in Australia. Equally noteworthy is the fact that the study of Sino-Australian relations in China is characterized by a greater variety of perspectives than it is in Australia. Appreciating this diversity is an essential part of developing a more accurate understanding of the policymaking milieu in China

Asian Politics & Policy, 2013

Security Challenges, 2015

The ascent of China has irrevocably changed Australia’s external strategic environment. While China became Australia’s top trading partner during the mid-2000s, tensions in the bilateral economic relationship have posed a series of complications for Australian policymakers. In this article, we explore four areas where these complications have become salient: economic asymmetries, Chinese state capitalism, the so-called resource curse, and tensions with geopolitical imperatives. We argue these demonstrate that China’s rise is not only a security challenge for Australia but also an economic one, which demands new strategies that are sensitive to the challenges and vulnerabilities of the Sino-Australian economic relationship.

International Relation , 2024

This paper explores the evolution and future trajectory of China-Australia relations, focusing on the critical themes of economic ties, political diplomacy, security cooperation, and people-to-people engagement. Beginning with an examination of historical developments from the 1970s to the 2000s, the paper traces key moments of cooperation and tension, such as Australia's role in China's economic modernization, human rights controversies, and strategic alignments with Western powers. Moving to the present, it analyzes the significance of China as Australia's largest trading partner, alongside the challenges posed by trade disputes, regional security concerns, and political interference. The paper concludes by emphasizing diplomatic efforts, trade diversification, and cultural exchanges as pivotal components in stabilizing and deepening the relationship between the two nations in the coming decades, highlighting the complex balance between economic cooperation and strategic competition. Ultimately, the paper suggests that while challenges remain, there are substantial opportunities for both nations to build a more resilient and productive partnership moving forward.

Security challenges, 2018

Australia's long-awaited 2017 Foreign Policy White Paper came on the eve of the 45th anniversary of Australia-China diplomatic relations. As its largest trading partner and a rising regional powerhouse, China features prominently throughout this policy blueprint. The White Paper notes the need to strengthen the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership with China, partly because of "China's growing influence on the regional and global issues of greatest consequence to our security and prosperity" (p. 37). 14 Yet, if the White Paper is any guide, China's growing influence is also what worries Australian leaders the most at the moment. On its very first page, we are told that "Today, China is challenging America's position" (p. 1). With the United States seen as vital to Australia's security and prosperity, one can hardly escape the conclusion that this China challenge also poses risks to Australia's key interests. As China seeks influence in the region, Australia will "face an increasingly complex and contested Indo-Pacific" (p. 26), in which "the potential for the use of force or coercion in the East China Sea and Taiwan Strait" is seen as disconcerting (p. 47). Describing the South China Sea as "a major fault line in the regional order" (p. 46), the White Paper is "particularly concerned by the unprecedented pace and scale of China's activities" along this "fault line" (pp. 46-47). Though not directly naming China, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also repeatedly warns of "risk", "danger", and "threats to our way of life" in his brief introduction to the White Paper (p. iii). Many Chinese commentators are puzzled by Australia's alarmist views of their country. Responding to the White Paper, an editorial from China's Global Times opines that each year Chinese students and tourists pour a large amount of money into Australian coffers, not to mention China being the main customer of Australian minerals and beef, and yet Australia treats China in a manner like "eating the meat from the bowl, and then abusing the

Since 2016, Australia's attitude toward China has taken a turn for the worse, and Sino-Australian relations have seen a signi cant decline. With regard to the change in Australia's attitude toward China, Chinese scholars initially analyzed it mainly from the perspective of the U.S.-Australia alliance and the China-U.S.-Australia triangle, viewing U.S. in uence as the key reason for the change in Australia's policy toward China. Later, Chinese scholars have become increasingly aware of the signi cant policy autonomy in Australia's China policy and the inadequacy of viewing Australia's China policy from the U.S. perspective. On the one hand, Australia's unique threat perception and interest perception have shaped the characteristics of its China policy; on the other hand, how to e ectively balance security interests and economic interests is a long-standing dilemma faced by Australia under the strategic competition between China and the U.S. e Australian government has shown a degree of policy exibility in its approach. e limited coercive economic measures taken by China against Australia have sent clear policy signals to Australia and have become a factor in uencing its policy towards China. In the coming period, although no obvious opportunity for improvement in China-Australia relations is in sight, both sides may be more prudent and pragmatic strategically, and China-Australia relations can be expected to remain basically stable at a low level.

Australia worked diligently to become a part of the Asian region and improve the relationship with its largest Asian neighbour, China, during the Labor governments of Bob Hawke and Paul Keating. This paper discusses Australia’s involvement in Asia and how this affected Australia’s relationship with the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) between the years 1988 to 1996, during which Senator Gareth Evans was Australian foreign minister. It examines the relationship with the PRC through three case studies where Evans, and the Australian government, used regional and international fora to engage in Asia, promote Australia’s image as a ‘good international citizen’ and ‘middle power’, and skilfully improve Sino-Australian relations. The case studies presented consist of; the formation of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the Cambodian peace process which marked the end of the Cambodian-Vietnam war, and the formation of the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF). Evans used these multilateral fora to great effect to engage Australia within the Asian region and to improve relations with the PRC.

Journal of Indo-Pacific Affairs, 2024

For more than two decades, Australia successfully balanced its economic ties with China, its most significant economic partner, and its security alliance with the United States, its core ally. That era has ended. As US-China tensions escalate, Canberra faces difficult choices between the two great powers. The signing of the AUKUS (Australia-United Kingdom-United States) security pact in 2021 and other measures perceived as anti-China alignments signal that Canberra has abandoned its hedging strategy, siding with Washington against Beijing. This article critically examines this foreign policy shift from both theoretical and empirical perspectives. By placing Australia's situation in a comparative context, it argues that for a middle power, unequivocally siding with one great power against another is a risky geopolitical move that could further intensify great-power rivalry.